European Travel 95 



Although he went primarily as a farmer, he had in mind 

 to see all sides of the country. He wrote to his father before 

 sailing : " I can have now the advantage of letters from Nor- 

 ton to the Scotch farmers, from Field to the English, from 

 Antisell to the Irish. They all have warm friends there yet 

 among just the men I want to learn from. Parsons will 

 introduce me to the gardens and nurseries. Prof. Johnston 

 returns to Edinboro, Judge Emerson and Stevens direct me 

 to the lions of London, and Field opens the manufacturies. " 



BIRKENHEAD AND ITS PARK 



Birkenhead is the most important suburb of Liverpool, 

 having the same relation to it that Charlestown has to Boston 

 or Brooklyn to New York. When the first line of Liverpool 

 packets was established, there were not half a dozen houses 

 here; it now has a population of many thousands, and is 

 increasing with a rapidity hardly paralleled in the New 

 World. This is greatly owing to the very liberal and enter- 

 prising policy of the land-owners, which affords an example 

 that might be profitably followed in the vicinity of many of 

 our own large towns. There are several public squares, and 

 the streets and places are broad, and well paved and lighted. 

 A considerable part of the town has been built with reference 

 to general effect, from the plans and under the direction of a 

 talented architect, Gillespie Graham. . . . 



The baker had begged of us not to leave Birkenhead 

 without seeing their new park, and at his suggestion we left 

 our knapsacks with him, and proceeded to it. As we ap- 

 proached the entrance, we were met by women and girls, 

 who, holding out a cup of milk, asked us — ''Will you take a 

 cup of milk, sirs? — good, cool, sweet, cow's milk, gentlemen, or 

 right warm from the ass!" And at the gate was a herd of 

 donkeys, some with cans of milk strapped to them, others 

 saddled and bridled, to be let for ladies and children to ride. 



The gateway, which is about a mile and a half from the 

 ferry, and quite back of the town, is a great, massive block of 

 handsome Ionic architecture, standing alone, and unsup- 



